A lot of users on the Apple Support forum have recently been complaining that their iPads (including the newer models like iPad 2 and the new iPad are showing incredibly slow download speeds. The problem that these users complain of is not with respect to the network itself – users speedtesting their networks say it is upwards of 10mbps. Rather, it appears specific to the device.

One fix that seems to be working for a few users has got to do with the Radio Mode settings on Airport Express. To explore this fix, follow these steps below. You can also check the original thread here.

1. Launch ‘Airport Utility’. You will see one or more Express units.

2. Tap the first Express unit

3. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. You will have an option that reads ‘Manual Setup’. Tap to open this.

4. In this window, find out the tab that reads ‘Wireless’.

5. Under ‘Radio Mode’, change the settings to 802.11g ONLY

6. You are done. Get back and repeat the process for all your stations.

You are done. It appears to fix the issue. Does this work? Tell us your experience as well as alternate fixes in the comments below.

Note : It is recommended to download the IPSW file with firefox as safari will often auto extract it.

Step 2 :

To mount the PwnageTool, simply double click it and then drag the icon into the Pwnage folder.

Now from the folder, double click to launch the PwnageTool application.

Click on OK if a warning message pops up.

Step 3 :

From the top menu bar, select Expert Mode.

Step 4 :

Now select your iPad.

A Check mark will appear over the image of the phone.

Click on the blue arrow button at the bottom right to continue.

Step 5 :

A Browse for IPSW page appears.

Click on the Browse for IPSW… button.

Now select your firmware from the Pwnage folder that you created and click on the Open button.

Step 6 :

A menu with multiple choices appears.

Click on General followed by the blue arrow button at the bottom right.

The General settings will allow you to decide the partition size. Here you can choose either Activate the phone which will be a non official activation or Enable baseband update that will allow you to modify the baseband.

Once done with the settings , click on the blue arrow button to proceed.

A Cydia settings menu appears that allows you to create custom packages so that you do not have to install them manually later on.

Click on the Download packages tab.

Click the Refresh button to display the list of all the available packages.

Double click the package you wish to download which will then be made available in Select packages tab.

Under the Select packages tab, just checkmark the ones you want and click the blue arrow button.

The jailbreaking season continues with yet another new tutorial this time for jailbreaking your iPad using the PwnageTool. Just follow these 12 step by step instructions precisely and you`ll get the job done.

A new nifty piece of code discovered in the iOS 4.3 beta firmware has revealed that the next generation of iPad could come with a proximity sensor. Traditionally, proximity sensors have been employed on touchscreen phones to disable multitouch functions while making a phone call. Not surprisingly, the availability of a proximity sensor on an iPad has caused a number of speculations about possible phone-capabilities.

Apparently, the proximity sensor is going to be provided in iPad 2 for an entirely different reason – case lock. The proximity sensor could possibly help the iPad automatically lock itself when an iPad casing is closed and then unlock when opened.

Some users also speculate that such a feature could be useful in future variants of the iPad that may come without the Home button and Sleep/Wake buttons. That however, is purely speculation at this point.

What do you think of this feature? Do you see other use-case scenarios for a proximity sensor on an iPad? Tell us in the comments.

A new report by market research firm, IDC, has thrown some interesting numbers with respect to the worldwide tablet and eReader market. According to their latest study, the Apple iPad currently constitutes over 87.4% of all “media tablets” shipped during the third quarter of 2010. That is 4.2 million units sold out of the total 4.8 million tablets sold worldwide during this period.

IDC however points out that it has set some criteria to differentiate tablet computers from eReaders which means Windows tablets and Amazon bestsellers like Kindle were not considered “tablets” and hence were not part of the study. IDC says, only electronic devices that measured between 5-14 inches and were equipped with color displays and lightweight operating systems were included in the study.

Despite this, iPad still owns a major share of the market. IDC notes that putting the tablets and eReaders under one umbrella will still keep the iPad on top at 79.5% market share.

Although 2010 was considered the year of the tablets, it is in 2011 that we will be seeing most of the competition. With devices like Motorola Xoom and Blackberry PlayBook on the pipeline, it will be interesting to see how the iPad market share stands one year down the line.

Around the time the Consumer Electronics Show was underway, we got to hear a lot of details about the features on the upcoming second generation model of the iPad. This new launch from Apple is expected to come with wide-range speakers at the bottom of the device besides slightly modified edges and back.

Now there are more details about the features on the next gen iPad. A new set of cases that have been made public by a Chinese accessory manufacturer shows a couple of new features – an SD card slot and a mini DisplayPort jack. The iPad 2 case contains a slot on the rear upper left corner that is possibly to house the SD card. Also, another slot at the center of the top edge is shaped in such a way that it indicates the possible provision for a mini DisplayPort jack.

No word on the authenticity of these pictures. So, we will have to wait for more official word.

We have already written quite a bit about the iPad 2 that is likely going to have a release date somewhere around in April this year. Earlier reports have also suggested that the new iPad is going to be thinner and sleeker than its predecessor with a new screen technology similar to the retina display on iPhone 4 – although some sources have speculated that such a move is improbable considering the costs involved.

A fresh report however notes that the new iPad could come with a display similar to the retina display with “super high resolution“. The source further claims that the screen will stay at 10 inches and will also feature front as well as rear cameras along with a built in SD slot. We also hear that iPad 2 could come with a dual GSM/CDMA chipset manufactured by Qualcomm which will mean both AT&T and Verizon could carry the iPad simultaneously.

This new chipset manufactured by Qualcomm marks Apple’s migration from its existing chipset manufacturer Infineon for all its mobile devices. Reports also suggest that Apple’s new A5 processor which is said to have blazing fast speeds will be making its way to the iPad 2, but there are no confirmations regarding this as yet.

Verizon Wireless, that has announced that it will be selling a CDMA variant of the iPhone starting next month has also confirmed that the carrier will soon begin selling iPads that can directly connect to the carrier’s CDMA network. Speaking to Bloomberg, Verizon Communications CFO Francis Shammo has said that future iPads sold over Verizon will come with an embedded chip that will enable this connectivity.

At present, iPads sold on Verizon stores are Wi-Fi only devices that are packaged with the Mi-Fi to connect to the CDMA network. These upcoming iPad devices will make the use of such extra devices redundant. The CDMA iPads are expected to be priced between $629 and $829 – same as the 3G-enabled iPad and the Verizon iPads that are packaged with Mi-Fi.

Now Dexim, a case design manufacturer has been exhibiting one of their new cases that has been designed for iPad 2. The case has been pretty smartly designed that allows a Bluetooth keyboard to connect to a sleeve that will contain the iPad 2 that will enable users to get their iPad working like a laptop.

With a number of accessory manufacturers producing iPad 2 cases that seem to be built with the rumored new features in place, the credibility of the speculations regarding the iPad 2 design is just getting stronger. What do you think? Check out a snapshot of the exhibited iPad 2 case from Dexim embedded below.

If you are in the UK, you may be aware of the increased VAT rates that consumers now have to pay for their goods. Electronic items like the iPhone and iPad has attract VAT charges of 20% – up from 17.5% that was levied last year. One may have expected Apple to absorb the hike to maintain their original price points. However, Apple has now announced that the prices of their devices will now be priced higher in order to keep up with the new VAT charges.

Consequently, a 16GB iPhone 4 will now cost £510 instead of the earlier £499. Also, the entry level iPad – the 16GB Wi-Fi only model – will now cost £439 instead £429. Prices of Apple’s iPod devices too will see an increase. The new starting prices for iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod nano and iPod Shuffle will now be £193, £197, £131 and £40 respectively.